• Society

Kampong Chhnang City’s Sanitation Milestone

• By Ou Sokmean
• and Sam Sopich
• May 20, 2022 7:33 PM

Toilet hygiene improvements hailed

PHNOM PENH – Kampong Chhnang city has become open defecation-free (ODF), making it the first city to achieve the status among the eight districts of Kampong Chhnang province.

The result follows a big contribution from the government in assisting water supply and sanitation.

Provincial Governor Sun Sovannarith said the results show the interest and support from the government and the Ministry of Rural Development in encouraging the sub-national administration to be more motivated to improve the well-being and living standards of the local people.

“I would like to congratulate the people and authorities at all levels in Kampong Chhnang city, which has been officially recognized to become the first model city/district in Kampong Chhnang province to achieve the end of open defecation today,” he said during the official recognition ceremony on May 17.

Another 23 communes and 219 villages across the country have become open defecation-free, Sovannarith said.

“By announcing ODF in Kampong Chhnang, the rural water supply, health and sanitation in the whole province will be further developed, in particular, for the province to end open defecation by 2030 as planned,” he said

In the province, 76 percent of the population have running water, equivalent to 106,898 houses. The sanitation rate is 80 percent, equal to 100,410 houses, according to Sun Sovannarith.

Rural Development Minister Ouk Rabun announced on April 27 that Svay Rieng province had become the first province to become completely open defecation-free.

Every house in Svay Rieng province has a toilet. It is one of five out of 25 provinces that the Ministry of Rural Development wants to be completely free of open defecation by 2023.

The other provinces are Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kep and Prey Veng.